The Books About Town is a London-based literary art project that hopes to turn 50 different city benches into folded story books. The idea is that these benches, fittingly titled BookBenches, will help to promote reading to a wide variety of audiences.
Artists like axel Scheffler, Michelle Heron and Deven Bhurke have already begun the process of transforming various street and park benches into the pages of classic story books. Each artist is assigned a different book title with the task of revamping a city bench into one of the colorful pages of the novel. Some of the BookBench novels include Alice in Wonderland and The Hitchhiker's Gide to the Galaxy. The BookBenches are set to be auctioned off to raise money for the National Literacy Trust.
Literary Book Benches
Books About Town Asks Various Artists Turn Benches into Iconic Story Books
Trend Themes
1. Interactive Public Art - The Books About Town project showcases the trend of turning city benches into folded story books, creating interactive art pieces in public spaces.
2. Promotion of Reading - By creating BookBenches, the project aims to promote reading and literacy to a wide variety of audiences, presenting an opportunity to actively engage people with books.
3. Charitable Fundraising - The auctioning of the BookBenches to raise money for the National Literacy Trust highlights the trend of using creative initiatives as a means of charitable fundraising.
Industry Implications
1. Art and Design - The Books About Town project presents opportunities for artists and designers to collaborate and create unique public art installations that engage and inspire the community.
2. Publishing and Literature - The promotion of reading through BookBenches showcases an opportunity for publishers and authors to partner with public art projects to reach new readers and enhance the reading experience.
3. Non-profit Organizations - The charitable fundraising aspect of the project highlights opportunities for non-profit organizations to leverage creative initiatives to support literacy programs and initiatives.